This Day in History Class

John Carpenter’s seminal slasher film Halloween premieres at the AMC Empire theater in Kansas City, Missouri. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1901, a 63-year-old teacher named Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to ride over the edge of Niagara Falls in a barrel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1959, the parody-singing, polka-playing musician known as “Weird Al” was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1797, French balloonist André-Jacques Garnerin descended 3,200 feet through the skies of Paris, becoming the first person to float safely to the ground using a frameless parachute. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1966, an avalanche of coal waste swept through the village of Aberfan in South Wales, claiming the lives of 144 people. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1962, America’s first fully automated post office began service in Providence, Rhode Island. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1901, the popular marching song “Pomp and Circumstance” was performed live for the very first time — but not at a graduation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1773, the renowned poet Phillis Wheatley was freed from slavery. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1906, a German shoemaker named Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt impersonated an army officer and tricked a group of soldiers into helping him commit a daring robbery. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1923, young cartoonist Walt Disney and his big brother Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1860, a young girl named Grace Bedell wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln, urging him to grow a beard before the upcoming election. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1975, Ronald DeFeo Jr. stood trial for the brutal killing of his six family members — a crime known today as the Amityville murders. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1958, a marmalade-loving bear cub appeared for the first time when A Bear Called Paddington was published. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1609, the original version of the popular children’s nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” was published for the first time in London. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1975, sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live broadcast its first episode live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1845, the United States Naval Academy opened its doors in Annapolis, Maryland, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1992, a meteorite the size of a bowling ball crashed into a parked Chevy Malibu in a suburb of Peekskill, New York. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1873, in response to the horrific treatment of female inmates at unisex prisons, the state of Indiana established the country’s first prison exclusively for women. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1982, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1961, in a letter to the Committee on Civil Defense, President John F. Kennedy advised American families to build fallout shelters as protection against a possible nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1969, just before 11pm, the first episode of the groundbreaking comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus premiered in the United Kingdom. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1955, in a surprising upset, the Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series, beating the New York Yankees 2-0. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1992, at the end of her performance on Saturday Night Live , Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor shocked the audience and viewers at home by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1851, a French occultist named Jacques Benoît gave the first -- and last -- demonstration of his new invention: a snail-powered telegraph. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this day in 1942, Simon & Schuster published the first dozen titles in the long-running Little Golden Books series. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.